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zilch - 3 dictionary results

zilch

[zilch] ,
–noun Slang.
zero; nothing: The search came up with zilch.

Origin:
1965–70, Americanism; perh. continuous with earlier zilch snafu, Mr. Zilch a character in Ballyhoo, a humor magazine first published in 1931; for sense cf. zip 3
zilch   (zĭlch)   
n.  
  1. Zero; nothing.
  2. A person regarded as being insignificant; a nonentity.
adj.  Amounting to nothing; nil: "Business was zilch" (New York).

[Perhaps from alteration of z(ero) + (n)il.]

zilch 
"nothing," 1966, from earlier sense of "meaningless speech" (1960), originally Mr. Zilch, (1931) comic character in the magazine "Ballyhoo." Perhaps from U.S. college slang (early 1900s) Joe Zilsch "an insignificant person." Probably a nonsense syllable, but Zilch is an actual Ger. surname of Slavic origin.
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